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Don't tell me, let me guess. Since the Bible is divinely inspired, it contains no errors nor contradictions.
Correct.
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We haven't had a thread on the myriad of errors, discrepancies and contradictions for some time, but there are myriads.
No, there really isn't. I've seen supposed lists posted that are easily understood if you actually read the context.
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Don't tell me, let me guess again. There are none - they are all explainable through reasoned, inspired, explanation (no matter how far -fetched), Faith that new information will be found to explain the apparent error or - my favourite - if the Bible disagrees with facts, then the facts must be wrong.
You are correct--we need to understand the context. But no, the Bible doesn't disagree with facts. It may disagree with our understanding of something as fact...but not facts.
I agree with you, Christy, but the problem is that there are multiple definitions of "holy" that are trotted out in different contexts.
In one context, holy means without sin.
In another context, like when wholesale slaughter is being ordered from on high, it means zero tolerance for sin and lust for justice in the form of vengeance, which is seen as "purifying fire".
In another context, it means unapproachable by anything less than holy, as in, "no man may look upon my face and live".
The only way a fundamentalist / literalist can get through the day is to have very fluid moveable goalposts that he can reconfigure at the drop of a hat.
I absolutely agree! What I find particularly disturbing is that they attempt to justify these atrocious behaviors as "holy", no matter what definition of "holy" one chooses to use.
My philosophy is this: If you cannot admit that your religious works contain man made material...your religion is not worth my time getting involved in it.
I believe Christians would have more adherents to their religion if they were just HONEST about the fact that a majority of their bible is not even close to being "inspired". Jesus (or someone they chose to call Jesus) was a great teacher and he taught many valuable life lessons. If people would just apply those lesson to their own lives and stay out of the lives of other people...we would have a much nicer world.
Don't tell me, let me guess. Since the Bible is divinely inspired, it contains no errors nor contradictions.
We haven't had a thread on the myriad of errors, discrepancies and contradictions for some time, but there are myriads.
Don't tell me, let me guess again. There are none - they are all explainable through reasoned, inspired, explanation (no matter how far -fetched), Faith that new information will be found to explain the apparent error or - my favourite - if the Bible disagrees with facts, then the facts must be wrong.
Do I get a couple of cigars?
Close but no cigar...You forgot the preacher's favorite explanation...."Context".
Correct.
You are correct--we need to understand the context. But no, the Bible doesn't disagree with facts. It may disagree with our understanding of something as fact...but not facts.
1 Kings 7:23 - Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely.
1 Kings 7:23 - Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely.
Oops.
Here's the answer...if people do not like it please ask Dr. Math
Close but no cigar...You forgot the preacher's favorite explanation...."Context".
While it sounds as though it is a question of looking at the whole of the text or relevant material, 'Context' (1) is actually a bit of catch -all term for all the explanations from explanation through reasoning to inspired explanation (no matter how far -fetched), Faith that new information will be found to explain the apparent error and - my favourite - if the Bible disagrees with facts, then the facts must be wrong. And of course the 'Big Picture', which is a euphemism for just ignoring the problem and opting for Faith.
(1) in fact - and I have had numerous debates so I know whereof wot I speak - the context of the Bible text and relevant matter makes the discrepancy worse. Thus the explanation tends to revert to the methods I set out.
Am I missing something? I thought the point was to do with thirty cubits not being anywhere near big enough, rather than dickerings about Pi.
Dr. Math eventually handwaves it away, arguing that since the values given are integer numbers of cubits, it is reasonable to assume a variance of +/- .5 cubits in both the diameter measurement and the circumference measurement. These tolerances, when stacked, encompass the value of 3.0 within the error bars.
Dr. Math is claiming the bible is accurate, because in the absence of specified tolerances, he arbitrarily assumes a single digit tolerance in whatever units are being used. it is really just handwaving to avoid the problem. Even if he is correct in his thought, it still means that the Bible contains error, the argument is that it is clearly human measurement error, and God just didn't bother to inspire the writer to deal with human foibles, like a major measurement error that no self respecting builder, then or now would accept (his tolerance stack puts the error in the circumference at +/- 18 inches for a circumference of 47.1 feet. Even a novice home depot customer can do better than that with a piece of string and a known shoe size...)
-NoCapo
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Since the Bible is divinely inspired, it contains no errors nor contradictions. 
